JP2003520986A - Optical modulation security device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] A security component (10) includes a light-transmitting substrate having a first surface having an optical interference pattern such as a holographic image pattern or an optical diffraction pattern and a second surface facing the first surface. Equipped. A color-shift optical coating (16) is formed on the surface of the substrate on which the interference pattern is formed or on the second surface. The color-shift optical coating (16) produces an observable color shift with a change in the incident angle or the observation angle of the incident light. Various processes such as vacuum coating processes, organic coating, lamination, laser scribe, and laser imaging can be used to make the security component (10). The security component (10) can be mounted on various objects using various mounting mechanisms. For example, it can be performed using a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a hot stamp. Thereby, security performance against forgery and the like can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to coating optical thin films used in the manufacture of security components. In particular, it relates to the manufacture of diffractive surfaces such as holograms and diffraction gratings with color shifts and optical modulation backgrounds that can be used as security components in various applications.

Color shift pigments and colorants have been used in a wide range of fields such as anti-counterfeit inks to protect documents and currencies from automobile painting. The color of the pigment or the colorant changes with the angle of the incident light and the observation angle due to the movement of the observer. The basic principle that causes such a color shift is due to the dispersion of small pieces made of a multilayer film to which a special optical effect is imparted by a medium such as dye or ink. Such a medium is continuously applied to the surface of the object.

[0003] Diffraction patterns and embossing and related holographic techniques are being used in a wide range of applications such as esthetic and utility visual effects. The diffraction grating can provide the desired iridescent visual effect. An impressive visual effect results when any light becomes incorporated into the pigment component by reflection from the diffraction grating. Generally, the diffraction grating has a linear or globe repeating structure in terms of quality and has an uneven shape. By forming hundreds to thousands of grooves per millimeter at regular intervals on the reflecting surface, it is possible to obtain a desired optical effect in the visible light region.

Diffraction grating technology is used to create two-dimensional holographic patterns to create the illusion of a three-dimensional image to an observer. The three-dimensional hologram is generated based on the difference in the refractive index change in the polymer caused by intersecting the laser beams including one reference beam and one objective beam. Such holograms are called volume holograms or 3D holograms.
Further, holograms are used for various objects to prevent counterfeiting.

For the purpose of protecting documents such as banknotes and credit cards from decorative packaging such as gift wrapping, various applications have been considered for embossed surfaces on which a holographic pattern is formed. The two-dimensional hologram basically uses a diffraction pattern formed on a plastic surface. In some cases it is possible to form a visible-light hologram image on the embossed surface without any processing, but in general, on the embossed surface to maximize the optical effect. It is necessary to form a reflective layer such as a metal thin film such as aluminum. This reflective layer can improve the visibility of the diffraction pattern embossing.

The first-order diffractive structure including a general-purpose hologram and a diffracted image has a serious drawback even when surrounded by highly rigid plastic. When a light source such as room light or sunlight over the sky is used to illuminate a hologram image, diffracted lights of all dimensions expand and overlap with each other. as a result,
The dye of the diffracted light disappears, and most of the visual information contained in the hologram disappears. Typically only silver reflected light from the embossed surface is observed and under such viewing conditions all devices will be silvery or pastel. Therefore, in order to obtain a practical holographic image, it is necessary to cause direct specular reflection. This means that the incident angle of the irradiation light needs to be set in the same direction as the observation direction.

Since security holograms have found widespread application, holograms used for credit cards, banknotes, etc. may be forged. Therefore, security holograms can easily be counterfeited. For single-stage and double-stage optical copies, direct mechanical copies, and even duplication,
It is being actively discussed on the Internet. Although many defense measures against these have been discussed, at present the effective deterrent effect has not yet been developed.

As one method of reproducing a hologram, there is a method of scanning a laser beam on an embossed surface and optically recording reflected light on a material layer such as a photopolymerizable polymer. . Therefore, the original pattern can be substantially forged. As another method, the protective coating is removed from the embossed metal surface by ion etching to expose the embossed metal surface, and a metal layer made of silver or the like (or another easily peelable layer). ) Is vapor-deposited. In this case, a counterfeit embossing shim is formed by subsequently depositing a nickel layer and then peeling it off.

[0009] In order to cope with such a sophistication of forgery technology, it is necessary to establish more advanced security means. One approach is USP 5,624 such as Miecka
, 076 and USP 5,672,410 to form holographic image patterns using embossed metal grains, optical laminated flakes, and the like.

Another problem with security holograms is that most people have difficulty identifying and recollecting the images produced by such holograms utilized for such authentication purposes. The average person who assesses security holograms cannot fully exercise their abilities as a result of confusion due to their complexity and decorative diffractive packaging. Therefore, most people tend to confirm the presence of a security device rather than confirm the actual image. This increases the opportunity for counterfeit use and provides an alternative to commercial holograms for authentic security holograms.

In order to prevent counterfeiting, hologram technology has been developed that produces a more complex image, such as multiple images, when a security device is rotated. The use of such enhanced images can provide a high level of confidence to the viewer. However, this complex image is difficult to convey, and it is also difficult to store the recollection, so that the complex system as described above cannot be added to the security system.

It is extremely difficult to develop a security product that can develop observation technology under various irradiation conditions, particularly in a state such as light diffusion, and can be used in the field of security technology that makes counterfeiting difficult. It is advantageous. Which

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, a first surface having an optical interference pattern, such as a holographic image pattern or an optical diffraction pattern. A security component is provided that includes a light-transmissive substrate having a second surface facing the light-transmissive substrate. A color shift optical coating is formed on the surface of the substrate on which the interference pattern is formed or on the second surface. This color-shifting optical coating causes observable color shifts with changes in the incident angle of incident light or the viewing angle. Various processes such as vacuum coating processes, organic coatings, laminating, laser scribing, and laser imaging can be utilized to make security components.

The color-shifting optical coating can take various forms depending on the specific mode. For example, an optical interference multilayer film structure such as an absorption layer / dielectric layer / reflection layer, or an optical layered product having a three-layer structure in which a low refractive index material and a high refractive index material are alternately stacked. be able to. The color-shifting optical coating can also be composed of pieces of optical interference multilayer film structure dispersed in a polymeric medium, such as color-shifting ink.

In other aspects of the invention, security components of various configurations can be made by laminating pre-laminate structures that include color shift optical coatings. In this case, an image can be imparted by laser ablation on the embossed substrate surface as an optical interference pattern.

In another aspect of the present invention, the color shift optical coating may be formed on the master shim, and the shape of the optical interference pattern on the master shim may be transferred. Depositing a carrier sheet on the color-shifting optical coating and then removing it together with the color-shifting optical coating from the master shim to produce a security component in which the optical interference pattern is duplicated within the color-shifting optical coating. You can also

The security component of the present invention can be attached to various objects using various attachment mechanisms. For example, a pressure sensitive adhesive or a hot stamp can be used. As a result, security performance against forgery and the like can be improved. The security component can be made in the form of labels, tags, ribbons, security spinning, etc., security documents, currency,
It can be applied to credit cards, product packaging, etc.

These and other features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, or from the content of the invention described below.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In order to fully understand the above-mentioned and other advantages and objects of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be described based on.
These drawings depict representative aspects of the invention and the invention, therefore, is not limited to such aspects.

The present invention relates to a security component comprising a diffractive surface having a color-shifted background. This security component has an enhanced visual effect. The security component is composed of a combination of an optical interference pattern such as a holographic pattern or a diffraction grating pattern and a color-shift foil or ink, and is configured to reduce the possibility of forgery. Further, according to the invention product, the user can easily observe the image or the diffraction effect only with the diffused light without using the direct reflected light.

The security component of the present invention is typically a combination of a light transmissive substrate having an interference pattern and a color shift optical coating, which makes counterfeiting of articles difficult. In the present invention, the characteristics of the optical interference effect and the characteristics of the diffraction effect by a diffractive surface such as a hologram are combined. The security component of the present invention retains complex optical patterns, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of conventional holographic techniques and allowing authentication work by an average person.

As detailed below, various aspects of the present invention are constructed by using three basic structures. The first is to replace the aluminum reflector or other diffractive surface of the hologram with an optical interference thin film stack. With this structure, a hologram structure is formed on the right side of the optical interference stack. In this case, the optical coating is formed by vacuum deposition directly on the embossed surface. Second, a thin film of misregistration foil or ink is applied to the side of the substrate opposite the embossed surface. The obtained interference effect differs depending on whether the foil or the ink is used. In the former case, the interference effect is formed below the metal-dielectric absorption interference structure, and in the latter case, the all-dielectric optics is used. The interference effect is formed under the design. Third,
Coat the color shift optical coating structure. This structure is laser ablated,
It is digitally imaged to a diffractive surface such as a hologram by reflective pattern etching or chemical etching such as photolithography.

In the drawings below, like reference numerals are used for like components. FIG. 1 illustrates a security component 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. The security component has a light transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14, such as an embossed image, formed on the outer first surface. The color shift optical coating 16 is formed on the opposing second surface of the substrate 12. The combination of the substrate 12 and the color-shifting optical coating 16 forming the security component 10 can reduce the possibility of duplication or forgery of an object having the security component 10.

The optical interference pattern 14 formed on the outer surface of the light transmissive substrate 12 can have a conventional structure including a diffraction pattern such as a diffraction grating, a refraction pattern, and a holographic pattern. Examples of the holographic pattern include two-dimensional and three-dimensional holographic images, corner cube reflection members, Kinegram (registered trademark) devices, Pixelgram (registered trademark) devices, zero-dimensional diffraction patterns, moire patterns, And other light interference patterns. They exhibit a microstructure with a size of 0.1-10 μm, preferably 0.1-1 μm. Also, a combination of holograms and diffraction gratings is possible.

Methods and configurations for forming the optical interference pattern 14 are known to those skilled in the art. For example, the substrate 12 can be embossed or the like to form an interference pattern such as a hologram. Specifically, the surface of the plastic film is pressed against the heated nickel embossing shim under high pressure to emboss the surface of the plastic film. Other methods include photolithography or embossing a plastic film against a patterned surface.

Kinegram devices are two-dimensional, computer-generated images.
It is available from OVD Kinegram Corp. in Switzerland, where individual image elements are filled with light-diffractive microstructures. These microstructures are 1 μm
It is constituted by fine surface modulation having the following size.

The light transmissive substrate 12 is composed of a castable and thermoformable material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), especially PET, type G, polycarbonate, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl. Acrylic compounds such as polyacrylates including chloride, polystyrene, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polypropylene,
Examples thereof include polydicyclopentadiene, and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light transmissive substrate 12 is substantially composed of a transparent substrate material such as polycarbonate. The substrate 12 has a thickness of 3-100 μ
m, preferably 12-25 μm. In addition, the substrate 12 can be composed of a single layer or multiple layers of the substrate material. The substrate 12 has a lower melting point or glass transition temperature than the optical coating member as long as it maintains its transparency.

As one means, the light transmissive substrate 12 can be constructed of a thermoplastic film, the surface of which is thermally softened and embossed by passing through an embossing roller. As a result, a diffraction grating or a holographic image is formed on the surface of the substrate 12. In this way, a sheet having an unlimited length is formed on which a diffraction grating or holographic image is formed. The surface of the substrate 12 having such a diffraction grating can also be formed by passing a plastic film roll coated with an ultraviolet (UV) curable polymer such as PMMA through a pair of UV transparent rollers. In this case, a diffractive surface is formed in the UV curable polymer and is cured by UV light as it passes through the UV transparent roller.

As shown in FIG. 1, the color shift optical coating 16 is composed of an optical interference laminate or a foil formed in a multilayer film, and includes an absorption layer 18, a dielectric layer 20, and a reflection layer 22. It has. The absorber layer 18 can be formed on the light transmissive substrate 12 using conventional vapor deposition processes such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and sputtering. The thickness of the absorbent layer 18 is 30-300Å, preferably 50-100Å
Set to.

The absorption layer 18 can be made of a gray metal such as chromium, nickel, titanium, vanadium, cobalt, or palladium, or a metal such as iron, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, or aluminum. Further, a combination of the above metals such as Inconel (Ni-Cr-Fe), or an alloy may be used. The absorption layer 18 is
Consists of metal suboxides, metal sulfides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, metal phosphide, metal suicides, and combinations thereof, as well as carbon, germanium, iron oxides, and metals mixed with a dielectric matrix. be able to.

The dielectric layer 20 can be formed using a known vapor deposition method such as PVD, a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD), a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method (PECVD), reactive DC sputtering, or RF sputtering. . The dielectric layer 20 is formed so as to have an optical thickness that effectively exhibits the color shift characteristics imparted to the security component 10. The optical thickness is defined by ηd, where η is the refractive index of the layer and d is the physical thickness of the layer. The optical thickness is
It is represented by the optical thickness (QWOT) of 1/4 wavelength of 4ηd / λ. Where λ
Represents the wavelength when QWOT occurs. The optical thickness of the dielectric layer 20 is designed to be 2QWOT at a wavelength of 400 nm, and the wavelength is 700 nm.
In, it is designed to be 9QWOT. It is designed to be 2-6QWOT at a wavelength of 400-700 nm. These change according to the degree of color shift. The dielectric layer 20 can be made of a photorefractive index material having a refractive index of 1.65 or higher, or can be made of a low refractive index material of 1.65 or lower as defined herein.

Examples of the high-refraction material described above include zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc oxide (ZnO), zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ), titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ), carbon (C), indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ). , Indium tin oxide (ITO), tantalum peroxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ ), cerium oxide (CeO ₂ ), yttrium oxide (Y ₂ O ₃ ),
Europium oxide (Eu ₂ O ₃ ), ferric oxide (Fe ₃ O ₄ ), ferrite (F
e ₂ O ₃ ), hafnium nitride (HfN), hafnium carbide (HfC), hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), lanthanum oxide (La ₂ O ₃ ), magnesium oxide (MgO)
), Neodymium oxide (Nd ₂ O ₃ ), praseodymium oxide (Pr ₆ O ₁₁ ), samarium oxide (Sm ₂ O ₃ ), antimony oxide (Sb ₂ O ₃ ), silicon carbide (SiC)
), Silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), silicon monoxide (SiO), selenium oxide (Se ₂ O ₃ ), tin oxide (SnO ₂ ), tungsten oxide (WO ₃ ), and combinations thereof can be used. .

As the above-mentioned low refractive index material, silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), magnesium fluoride (MgF ₂ ), aluminum fluoride (AlF ₃ ), selenium fluoride (CeF ₃ ). ), Lanthanum fluoride (LaF ₃ ), sodium aluminum fluoride (Na ₃ AlF ₆ and Na ₅ Al ₃ F ₁₄ etc.), neodymium fluoride (
NdF ₃ ), samarium fluoride (SmF ₃ ), barium fluoride (BaF ₂ ), calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ), lithium fluoride (LiF), and combinations thereof can be used. Alternatively, another low refractive index material having a refractive index of 1.65 or less can be used. For example, acrylates (eg, methacrylate), perfluoroalkenes, polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), and combinations thereof can be used.

The reflective layer 22 is formed on the dielectric layer 20 by a known vapor deposition process such as PVD or sputtering. The reflective layer 22 is 300-1000 Å, preferably 5
Set the thickness to 00-1000Å. The reflective layer 22 may preferably be composed of opaque and highly reflective metals such as aluminum, silver, copper, gold, platinum, niobium, tin, and combinations or alloys thereof. These materials are appropriately selected according to the degree of color shift to be obtained. Semi-opaque metal such as gray metal becomes opaque when the thickness becomes 350-400Å. Therefore, chromium, nickel, titanium, vanadium, cobalt, palladium, cobalt-nickel alloy or the like can be used as the reflective layer 22.

Further, the reflective layer 22 can be formed of a magnetic material such as a cobalt-nickel alloy or a semitransparent material, and can impart a machine reading performance that can be used for security authentication. For example, a personal identification number (PINS),
Machine-readable information such as account information, business authentication, warranty information, etc. can be placed on the back optical coating. As another aspect, the reflective layer 22 is divided,
The underlying information can also be partially read visually or using electronic, magnetic or other devices. This allows the reception of information located below the optical coating 16 except in the areas where the reflective segments are present, which makes counterfeiting difficult. In addition, since the reflective layer is divided based on a certain control, it is possible to control special information that is hindered from being read, and the anti-counterfeiting effect can be further enhanced.

As shown in FIG. 1, the security component 10 may have a pressure sensitive adhesive layer 24 on the reflective layer 22. This allows the security component 10 to be applied to various objects such as credit cards, appraisals, bank cards, banknotes, visas, passports, licenses, immigration cards, identification cards, containers, and other three-dimensional objects. Can be easily installed. The adhesive layer 24 can be made of a polymer compound such as an acrylic polymer, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyamide, urethane, polyisobutylene, polybutadiene, rubber, or a combination thereof. Also, when attaching the security component 10 to a predetermined object,
A hot stamping process as described below can be used. As shown in FIG. 1, by using an absorption layer / dielectric layer / reflection layer configuration as the color shift optical coating 16, it is possible to obtain a high chromaticity modulated color that can be visually recognized by a person.
Therefore, the color tone of the object to which the security component 10 is attached changes depending not only on the angle of incident light but also on the viewing direction or the relative angle between the viewing direction and the object. As a result, it is difficult to forge the security component 10 due to the change in color tone depending on the viewing direction. Further, the thin film interference color shift coating described above can change the color of the diffracted light, and suppresses, modifies, and enhances a predetermined color depending on the color shift unique to the diffraction and the thin film structure. To do. For example, the use of the color shift optical coating 16 may cause a color shift between gold-green, green-magenta, blue-red, green-silver, magenta-silver, magenta-gold, and the like. However, the invention is not limited to these.

The color shift properties of the optical coating 16 can be controlled by making appropriate adjustments to the layer design. By changing the thickness of the layer or the refractive index of the layer, a preferable effect can be obtained. The color changes depending on the observation angle and the incident angle of the incident light due to the selective absorption of the material forming each layer and the coupling of the interference effect depending on the wavelength. The interference effect is caused by the superposition of light waves that have been multiple-reflected by the multilayer film structure and transmitted, and this is the cause of the color shift depending on the angle.

FIG. 2 shows a security component 30 according to another aspect of the invention. The security component 30 has the same components as the security component 10, and has a light-transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14 on an outer first surface, and a side of the substrate 12 opposite to the first surface. A color-shifting optical coating 36 formed on the second surface of the. The optical coating 36 includes an absorption layer 18, a dielectric layer 20,
And an absorption layer 38. For this multilayer structure,
Phillips et al. Is disclosed in application USP 5,278,590, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. In such a multilayer film structure, when predetermined light is incident on the optical coating 36, the light is transmitted therethrough, and the optical coating 36
Below, information on a carrier substrate (not shown) can be visually authenticated or mechanically read. The pressure sensitive adhesive layer 24 formed on the absorbent layer 38 allows the security component 30 to be attached to a suitable surface of a given object.

FIG. 3 shows a security component 40 according to another aspect of the invention. The security component 40 has the same components as the security component 10, and has a light-transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14 on an outer first surface, and a side of the substrate 12 opposite to the first surface. A color-shifting optical coating 46 formed on the second surface of the. Optical coating 46 is a multi-layer optical stack consisting of predetermined dielectric layers. Suitable laminate structures for optical coating 46 are disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,135,812 and US Pat. No. 5,048,351 to Philips et al., The disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Generally, an optical coating 46
Is formed by alternately stacking low-refractive index layers and high-refractive index layers, and each layer can be composed of various materials described above that can be used for the dielectric layer 20. In such a multilayer film structure, when predetermined light is incident on the optical coating 46, it is transmitted through the security component 40. Also, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer 24 may be provided on the optical coating 46.

FIG. 4 shows a security component 50 according to another aspect of the invention. The security component 50 has the same components as the security component 10, and has a light-transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14 on an outer first surface, and a side of the substrate 12 opposite to the first surface. And a color-shifting optical coating 56 formed on the second surface of the. The optical coating 56 is composed of a color-shifting ink or dye, which ink comprises a polymeric medium in which optical interference strips having color-shifting properties are dispersed.

The optical interference piece has a multi-layered structure and is composed of the same layers as in the case of the optical coating 16 of the security component 10. The optical interference piece comprises an absorbing layer, a dielectric layer, and optionally a reflecting layer. These layers can be composed of materials similar to those of which the optical coating 16 is composed. The optical interference piece may have a contrasting multilayer film structure such as absorption layer / dielectric layer / reflection layer / dielectric layer / absorption layer, or absorption layer / dielectric layer / absorption layer. Alternatively, an asymmetric multilayer film structure such as an absorption layer / dielectric layer / reflection layer can be adopted. The optical interference piece has a size of 2-200 μm.

The multilayer film structure as described above can be formed on a flexible web material having a release layer on the upper surface. Various layers can be formed on the web material by a known film forming means such as PVD or sputtering. The multilayer structure can be peeled from the web material as a thin film color shift strip and added to a polymeric medium such as various pigment vehicles such as inks and dyes. In addition to the color shift piece, other additives can be added to obtain a desired color shift. Examples of the additive include lamellar pigments such as aluminum flakes, graphite and mica flakes, as well as non-lamellar pigments such as aluminum powder, carbon black, organic pigments, inorganic pigments and dyes.

A specific embodiment of the above-mentioned color shift piece is disclosed in a US application (application number 09 / 198,733, name: color shift thin film pignunt) filed on November 24, 1998, and its contents Are incorporated into this application. Other aspects of the color shift piece include USP 5,135,812, USP 5,171,363, USP 5,278,590, USP 5,084,351 and USP 4,83.
No. 8,648, the contents of which are also disclosed in the present application.

The color shift inks or dyes that can be used to form the optical coating 56 on the security component 50 can be applied using coating methods and equipment known to those skilled in the art. Specific examples include silk screen, intaglio printing, gravure printing, flexographic printing, and the like. The optical coating 56 can be formed on the security component 50 by co-extruding a polymeric material containing color shift strips with the plastic material forming the substrate 12 forming the interference pattern 14.

By forming the pressure sensitive adhesive layer 24 on the optical coating 56, the security component 50 can be attached to any surface of a given object.

FIG. 5 shows another aspect of the present invention. The security component 60 has the same components as the security component 10 and comprises a light transmissive substrate 12 with an optical interference pattern 14 on the outer first surface. A color shift optical coating 56. The optical coating 66 is formed in a foil shape and is laminated by using the adhesive layer 62 on the surface of the substrate 12 opposite to the first surface. Adhesive layer 62 can be composed of pressure sensitive adhesives, polyurethanes, acrylates, natural latex, and combinations thereof.
The optical coating 66 comprises an absorber layer 18, a dielectric layer 20, and a reflective layer 22 formed in sequence. The optical coating 66 can also be formed on the carrier sheet 64 prior to being laminated on the substrate 12. For example, the optical coating 66 can be formed on a transparent plastic carrier sheet such as PET in a vacuum roll coaster.

As another aspect of the security component 60, as described in the optical coating 36 of the security component 30, the optical coating does not have a reflective layer,
A multilayer film structure including an absorption layer and a dielectric layer may be used, or an optical laminated body in which a plurality of dielectric layers are laminated as described in the optical coating 46 of the security component 40 may be used. Further, the optical coating of the security component 60 may be composed of color-shifted ink, dye, etc., as described for the optical coating 56 of the security component 50.

FIG. 6 is a security component 70 according to yet another example of the present invention. The security component 70 comprises the same components as the security component 60, and has the light-transmissive substrate 12 having the optical interference pattern 14 on the outer first surface. The color shift optical coating 76 is formed in the shape of a foil,
Is laminated on the surface opposite to the surface of (1) with an adhesive layer 62 interposed. The optical coating 76 has an absorbing layer 18, a dielectric layer 20, and a reflecting layer 22, and the substrate 1
It is formed on the carrier sheet 64 prior to being laminated on the carrier 2. The optical coating 76 further comprises an optically inert intermediate layer 78. Middle layer 78
Reacts sensitively to shear forces. The intermediate layer 78 is formed between the dielectric layer 20 and the reflective layer 22 by a known coating technique. Further, the intermediate layer 78 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylene propylene (
FEP), silicone, carbon, and a combination thereof, and formed on an extremely thin film having a thickness of 50 to 200 Å. The intermediate layer 78 can prevent peeling when the security component 70 is attached to a predetermined object without damage.

The intermediate layer in the security component 70 can also be used, if desired, in the above embodiment having a multilayer structure. For example, FIG. 7 shows a security component 80 including the same components as the security component 10, and includes a light-transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14, an absorption layer 18, and a dielectric layer 2.
0, and a color-shifting optical coating 86 having a reflective layer 22. The optical coating 86 has an optically inactive intermediate layer 88 between the dielectric layer 20 and the reflective layer 22. A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 24 is formed on the reflective layer 22 or a carrier sheet 64 made of a plastic sheet or the like so that the security component 80 is formed on any surface of a predetermined object. ing. In the latter case, the absorption layer is adhered to the light transmissive substrate 12 side,
Carrier sheet 64 holds each layer 18, 20, 88, and 22.

FIG. 8A shows a security component 90 according to another aspect of the invention, where the embossed surface of the substrate constitutes the optical coating. The security component 90 has the same components as the security component 10, and has a light-transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14 formed with embossing and a color shift optical coating 96 made of a multilayer optical stack. It is equipped with In this case, the optical coating 96 is formed on the same side of the substrate 12 on which the interference pattern is formed by a known vacuum deposition process. The optical coating 96 is formed by forming the reflective layer 22, the dielectric layer 20, and the absorbing layer 18 in this order. Further, the stacking order of each layer can be reversed, and the absorption layer 18, the dielectric layer 20, and the reflection layer 22 can be reversed.
Can also be laminated in this order. In this aspect, when the security component is observed through the light transmissive substrate 12, an interference pattern such as a modified hologram can be observed.

Each layer of the optical coating 96 formed on the substrate 12 preferably conforms to the morphology of the underlying interference pattern, such as a holographic image, so that the holographic structure is the outer surface of the optical coating 96. Come to exist on. This phenomenon is more clearly shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the security component 90 shown in FIG. 8B. The vacuum process used in forming the optical coating 96 or other multilayer film structure retains the holographic structure during the deposition process so that the holographic structure is the optical coating 96.
Retained on the outer surface of the. As a film forming method, a method of irradiating a vapor beam substantially perpendicularly to the coating surface can be preferably used. According to such a process, the initial structure of the optical laminated body can be maintained as it is.

By providing the pressure sensitive adhesive layer 24 on the side of the substrate 12 opposite the side on which the optical coating 96 is provided, the security component 90 can be formed on any surface of a given object. .

As a modified example of the security component 90, the security component 30 may be formed as a multilayer film structure having only an absorption layer and a dielectric layer without having a reflective layer like the optical coating 36 of the security component 30. it can. Alternatively, it may be composed of a laminated body in which dielectric layers are laminated like the optical coating 46 of the security component 40.

FIG. 9 shows a security component 100 according to another aspect of the present invention, which comprises a master shim 102 to form a hologram-like interference structure in an optical stack. The master shim 102 can be constructed of metallic materials such as nickel, tin, chrome, and combinations thereof. The optical coating 106 can be formed on the interference pattern 104 using a known vacuum deposition process such as PVD. The optical coating 106 has a release layer (not shown) directly formed on the interference pattern 104, an absorption layer 18, a dielectric layer 20, and a reflective layer 22 that are sequentially formed. The interference layer 20 can be made of gold, silicone, or a low surface energy material such as FEP. The release layer may be composed of a low refractive index material such as Mg ₂ F or SiO ₂ that is easily affected by stress. Each layer formed on the optical coating 106 is formed on the master shim 102 so that it conforms to the morphology of the underlying holographic or diffractive pattern 104. A receiver sheet 108, such as a plastic sheet, is attached to the reflective layer 22 by an adhesive layer not shown. The optical coating 106 can be peeled off from the master shim 102 together with the receiver sheet 108, and can be mounted on a predetermined object while retaining the holographic pattern or the diffraction pattern of the optical coating 106.

As a modification of the security component 100, the optical coating 106, such as the optical coating 36 of the security component 30, does not have a reflective layer, but a multilayer film structure having only an absorbing layer and a dielectric layer. It can also be formed. Or
The security component 40 may also be composed of a laminated body in which dielectric layers are laminated like the optical coating 46.

In the following embodiments, various security components are formed by laminating a laser imaging optical coating structure to an embossed substrate. By using the lamination process, two expensive security components (for example, the color shift thin film and the hologram) can be separated until they are laminated, which is advantageous in terms of cost. The laminated component contains a color shift foil or ink and can be used as a background under the holographic image. In this case, the holographic image can only be viewed at a certain angle. The holographic image can be observed with the related image superimposed on the color-shifted background.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the security component 110 has a laser ablation image formed in the color shift optical coating 116. As shown in FIG. 10A, the optical coating 116 is formed on the carrier sheet 64 such as transparent PET through a known film forming process to form the preliminary laminated structure 117. The optical coating 116 is formed on the carrier sheet 64 by the reflective layer 22, the dielectric layer 2
0 and the absorption layer 18 are sequentially formed by vapor deposition. Laser ablation image 118 is formed in optical coating 116 on pre-laminate 117 using known laser imaging systems. Laser ablation image 118 may take the form of digital images (eg, pictures of people or faces), barcodes, confidential data or information, and combinations thereof. Laser images are, for example, USP 5,3 by Prestec.
This can be done using the semiconductor diode laser systems disclosed in 39,737 and USP 5,335,512, the disclosures of which are incorporated into this application. Also, reflective pattern etching, or chemical etching by photolithography can be used to form different images in the optical coating.

The pre-laminate 117 having the laser ablated image 118 is laminated on the light transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern 14, such as a diffraction pattern or a holographic pattern, as shown in FIG. 10B. The pre-laminate 117 is the adhesive layer 6
It is possible to provide the completed security component 110 by being laminated on the side of the substrate 12 that is opposite to the side on which the interference pattern 14 is formed via the substrate 2. The pre-laminate 117 can also be formed on the embossed surface of the substrate 12. In the latter case, the completed security component is viewed through the substrate 12. In such cases,
It is necessary to form a photorefractive index layer on the embossed surface so that the refractive index of the adhesive layer does not match that of the embossed surface. The high refractive index layer is composed of, for example, TiO ₂ or ZnS.

The pre-laminate 117 can be prepared by stacking no additional layers on the embossed surface,
Can be used as a final product. In this case, the preliminary laminate 117 can be directly attached to a predetermined object by using an adhesive layer or another attachment mechanism. The preliminary laminate 117 can be formed by forming a suitable optical modulation layer on a holographic substrate or a diffractive substrate by using a laser ablation method.

FIG. 11 illustrates a security component 120 according to another aspect of the invention, having similar components to the security component 110. Specifically, it comprises a light-transmissive substrate 12 having an optical interference pattern such as a holographic pattern or a diffraction pattern, and a color shift optical coating 126 laminated on the substrate 12 via an adhesive layer 62. There is. The optical coating 126 is the absorption layer 18
, A dielectric layer 20, and a reflective layer 22. The optical coating 126 is formed on the carrier sheet 64 and constitutes a preliminary structure prior to being laminated on the substrate 12. This preliminary structure is laser image processed as described for security component 110 to form a laser scribe number 122 for use as a serial label.

FIG. 12 illustrates a security component 130 according to another aspect of the invention, including similar components to security components 110 and 120. Specifically, it includes a light-transmissive substrate 12 on which a holographic pattern or a diffraction pattern is formed, and a color shift optical coating 136 laminated on the substrate 12 via an adhesive layer 62. Optical coating 136 includes absorbing layer 18, dielectric layer 20, and reflective layer 22, as described above. Optical coating 136
Are formed on the carrier sheet 64 to form a preliminary structure. Like the security components 110 and 120, this preliminary structure is subjected to a laser imaging process to form a laser ablation image 118 and a laser scribe number 122 to match the features of both security components 110 and 120. To have.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the security component 140 includes the same components as the security component 130, and is formed on the substrate 12 via the light-transmissive substrate 12 having the optical interference pattern 14 and the adhesive layer 62. Color shift optical coating 1
46 and. The optical coating 146 includes the absorbing layer 18, as described above.
It includes the dielectric layer 20 and the reflective layer 22 and is formed on the carrier sheet 64 to form a preliminary structure prior to being formed on the substrate 12. The laser image processing as described in the security component 130 is performed on this preliminary structure to form the laser ablation image 118 and the laser scribe number 122.
A concealment resistance layer 148 is formed on the substrate 12 so as to cover the interference pattern 14. The concealment resistance layer 148 can be made of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium oxide, cadmium tin oxide, or a combination thereof, and can impart characteristics such as electrical resistance to the security component 140. . As the concealment resistance layer 148, the one disclosed in the US patent application (application number: 09 / 094,005) filed on June 9, 1998 can be used, and the content contained therein is the present application. It is also taken in. If desired, the hiding resistance layer can also be used for other aspects of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10-13, it is also possible to reverse the laminated structure and form an embossed surface with a high refractive index transparent dielectric layer adjacent to the adhesive layer and the optical coating. FIG. 14 shows a security component 150 including the same components as the security component 130, in which the light transmissive substrate 12 having the optical interference pattern 14 and the color laminated on the substrate 12 via the adhesive layer 62. Offset optical coating 156. The optical coating 156 is formed on the carrier sheet 64 to form a preliminary structure prior to being formed on the substrate 12. Laser image processing is performed on this preliminary structure to form a laser ablation image 118 and a laser scribe number 122. As shown in FIG. 14, the optical coating 156 is laminated on the substrate 12 so as to be adjacent to the optical interference pattern 14 such as a holographic pattern or a diffraction pattern.

As a modification of the security component shown in FIGS. 10-14, the optical coating is a multi-layered structure having an absorption layer and a dielectric layer without a reflective layer as described in the optical coating 36 of the security component 30. It can also have the form of a membrane structure, as described in the optical coating 46 of the security component 40,
It may also have the form of an optical laminate in which dielectric layers are laminated. Further, it may have a form such as color shift ink or dye as described in the optical coating 56 of the security component 50. The optical coating can be formed directly on the carrier sheet 64 prior to the laser imaging process and the subsequent laminating process.

As described in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 7-9, image processing by laser ablation as described above is applied to the color shift optical coating formed directly on the embossed surface. You can also do it.

The security component of the present invention can be attached to various objects by using various attachment jigs. For example, a hot stamping process as shown in Figures 15 and 16 can be used. The hot stamp structure 160 is shown in FIG. 15 and includes a carrier sheet 162 having a thermal release layer 164. The embossed substrate 12 having the interference pattern 14 and a high refractive index transparent layer (not shown) formed on the pattern is attached to the peeling layer 164 on the surface opposite to the embossed surface. The color shift optical coating 166 is applied as an ink layer on the substrate 12 and is located between the substrate 12 and the heat activated adhesive layer 168.

In general, the carrier sheet 162 can be constructed of various materials known to those skilled in the art and in various thicknesses. For example, when the carrier sheet 162 is made of PET, its thickness can be set to 10-75 μm. Alternatively, any material may be formed to any thickness based on the teachings of the present invention. The carrier sheet 162 can be configured as a belt or as part of another structure to convey the security component to a predetermined object. Release layer 1
By selecting an appropriate material 64, the substrate 12 can be peeled from the carrier sheet 162 through a hot stamp. The release layer 164 is made of polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, chlorinated rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), copolymer, nitrocellulose, methyl methacrylate,
It can be composed of acrylic copolymers, fatty acids, waxes, gums, gels, and combinations thereof. The peeling layer 164 is formed to have a thickness of about 2-20 μm.

The heat-activatable adhesive layer 168 can be composed of an acrylic polymer, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyamide, and combinations thereof. The thickness of the adhesive layer 168 is set to about 2-20 μm.

In the hot stamping process, the carrier sheet 162 can be peeled off from the substrate 12 by the peeling layer 164 after the hot stamping structure 160 is pressed against the surface of the object 169 to be hot stamped. At this time, the security component composed of the substrate 12 and the optical coating 166 has a heat-activatable adhesive layer 16
8 to be adhered to a predetermined object 169. The object 169 is made of plastic, polyester, leather, metal, which can be used as a security device.
It can be composed of glass, trees, paper, cloth, etc. By contacting an object 169 with a heated metal stamp (not shown) having a different morphology or image,
The adhesive layer 168 and the surface of the object 169 can be bonded. At the same time, the heated metal stamp heats the adhesive layer 168 to a temperature suitable for bonding and then the object 169.
Press on. In addition, the heated metal stamp softens the release layer 164, peeling the carrier sheet 162 from the substrate 12 and exposing the security component attached to the object 169 in the area of the stamp image. Security component object 169
The image produced by the security component is viewed from the substrate 12 in the direction of the optical coating 166 when mounted on.

FIG. 16 illustrates another aspect of hot stamping, in which the illustrated hot stamping structure 170 has similar components to the hot stamping structure 160 described above. The hot stamp structure 170 includes a carrier sheet 162 having a thermal release layer 164 and an embossed substrate 12 having an interference pattern 14.
The substrate 12 is attached to the release layer 164. The color shift optical coating 176 is applied to the substrate 12 and the heat activated adhesive layer 168 by using a vacuum coating technique.
It is applied and formed between.

The hot stamping process using the hot stamping structure 170 can be performed in the same manner as when using the hot stamping structure 160. After the hot stamp structure 170 is pressed against the surface of the object 169, the carrier sheet 162 is peeled from the substrate 12 by the peel layer 164. Substrate 12 and optical coating 176
The security component composed of and is provided with a predetermined object 169 via an adhesive layer 168.
Mounted on.

The aspects of the invention described above can be used for hot stamping processes.

The security component of the present invention can also be attached to various objects using a cold transfer process with a UV-active adhesive layer. Such technology is called "Roll
Coater System for the Productionof Optically Variable Devices (OVD's)
for Security Applications, Proceedings, 33 ^rd , Annual Technical Conferenc
e, Society of Vacuum Coaters, pp. 103-109 (1990), by IM Boswarva et al.
, "The contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The security component described above can be used in various fields and can provide a security enhancement means such as forgery prevention. The security parts are in the form of labels, tags, ribbons, security spinning, tapes, etc., secret documents, secret labels, financial transaction cards, currencies, credit cards, product packaging, licenses, distribution promissory notes, stock certificates, banks and government bonds. , Paper, plastic, or glass products, as well as other similar articles. The security component of the present invention can be preferably used in the following fields. (1) Security parts having rigid substrates such as payment cards, smart cards, and ID cards, (2) laminated products such as licenses, security passes, border inspection cards, passports, etc. (3) tax stamps, scrolls, packages One-trip security items such as stickers, certificates of real goods, gift certificates, etc.

There are common considerations in these fields of application. In these applications, holographic or diffractive structures are best present and protected by a strong substrate or cover layer. When such a protective substrate is not used, the life of the device used in the above field is shortened and the range of use is limited. In fields such as application documents, since the security device cannot be arranged in a limited direction, a relatively unskilled observer cannot easily recognize the device. For example, in order to authenticate a credit card, a main security device and a secondary device such as a printing technology are required. Tools that can be used for banknote security (watermarks, intaglio printing, special paper, spinning, etc.) cannot be applied to rigid opaque substrates. Therefore, the security device of the present invention is excellent in cost performance and can function as a protective shield which can be immediately recognized by the public.

The security device of the present invention has many advantages when used as an automatic authenticator. Then, when the observation angle changes, the characteristic such as the color shift that can be particularly identified is retained. Security is enhanced by the inclusion of digital information. The digital information is compared to the image in photographic format. Even if a computer hacker finds a way to simulate a simple logo on a decorative holographic board, it is not possible to simulate a color-shifted background using an inkjet printer, and it is not possible to generate an image. The image only occurs in certain directions.

Conventional holograms can also be used for document protection, but they are extremely eye-catching, so it is difficult for a general person to clearly authenticate the hologram, and accurate authentication is possible. Will not be able to do. Even in such a case, if the security component of the present invention is used, authentication can be easily performed, and duplication becomes difficult.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described according to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 An optical coating including a color shift piece in a polymer vehicle was formed on a light transmissive substrate made of a PET film containing a holographic image by using a drawdown process. The drawdown vehicle is composed of two parts, a lacquer / catalyst part and a color shift piece. The color shift pieces are green-magenta, blue-red, and magenta-
Has gold color shift characteristics.

Example 2 A color shift optical coating having a three-layer structure was formed on an embossed transparent film to manufacture a security component. The optical coating was formed on a flat surface of the substrate opposite the embossed surface. The optical coating is formed by sequentially stacking an absorption layer made of chromium, a dielectric layer made of magnesium fluoride, and a reflection layer made of aluminum.

The aluminum layer is formed so as to be substantially transparent. This allows the printed information on the object under the optical coating to be read. Further, the reflective layer can be composed of a magnetic material. When magnetic properties are imparted to the color misregistration component, three independent security properties can be imparted to the security component.

The embossed film and the optical coating that make up the security component can be rigidly fixed to a carrier substrate, or the security component can be hot stamped onto the surface of a given object. It can also be attached to the release layer. Further, the hot stamp image for the optical coating can have dots, lines, logos, or other shapes. By such an optical modulation effect, forgery can be prevented more effectively.

Example 3 A security component was made according to the present invention by laminating a laser image optical coating structure on an embossed substrate. The security component is composed of the following four components. That is, (1) laser ablation image, (2) laser ablation barcode or serial number, (3) color shift multilayer film structure, and (4) holographic image.

The color shift multilayer film structure was formed on a transparent PET substrate with a vacuum roll coater to a thickness of 1 mm. In the color shift multilayer film structure, a metal layer made of aluminum, a dielectric layer made of magnesium fluoride, and an absorption layer made of chromium are laminated in this order. The color-shifted multilayer structure is laser ablated and digitally coded using a laser diode imaging system based on the Heidelberg quick master printing system. A high resolution laser diode array having a spot diameter of about 30 μm was used as the imaging system.
After the digital code is added to the color-shifting multilayer structure, the color-shifting multilayer structure is covered with an embossed plastic film having holograms via a pressure sensitive adhesive layer. Then, the predetermined security parts are completed. The embossed surface was placed close to the color-shifted multilayer structure, and the hologram word "security" was placed upside down to protect the image. The final shape of the security component has a structure as shown in FIG.

Rotating the security part back and forth will have three different images. Under normal observation, the profile of a woman produced by laser ablation is magenta. It becomes green in high-angle observation. Such color misregistration can be easily observed by changing various irradiation conditions. Further, such color shift can be easily caused. In the intermediate angle observation, the color facets and the image are mixed.

Example 4 In this example, various tests were performed on the security component manufactured in Example 3 to measure optical characteristics.

(A. Measurement and Sample Placement) The security using a Carl Zeiss GK / 311M Goniospertrophotometer using a xenon flash lamp having a function of adjusting the angle according to the application of irradiation light and reflected light The characteristics of the parts were evaluated. 17A and 17B
Evaluation was performed under the three observation conditions in the configuration as shown in FIG. The three observation conditions include the following. (A) The irradiation angle is set to 45 degrees, and the measurement angle is increased by 5 degrees from 65 degrees to 155 degrees (FIG. 17A). (B) Off-gloss, increase the irradiation angle from 25 degrees to 75 degrees in 5 degree increments, and set the measurement angle to
Increase from 0 to 150 degrees in 5 degree increments (FIG. 17B). (C) On gloss,
Increase the irradiation angle from 25 degrees to 80 degrees in 5 degree increments, and measure the angle from 100 degrees to 1 degree.
Increase by 5 degrees up to 55 degrees. Calibration for these configurations is
Use white tiles. The security component is 0, 90,
It was placed at 180 and 270 degrees.

(B. Optical Results) The results of the optical test under the three observation conditions are as follows. The results of the tests were found to show a unique optical interferometric modulation effect independent of the diffraction effect.

(1. Set Irradiation Angle) Regarding the optical characteristics of the hologram, the spectral response was dominant only in the directions of 90 degrees and 270 degrees. That is, the hologram groove was dominant at 90 degrees. The examination result of the spectral profile is shown in FIG. FIG.
As is clear from the above, diffractive holograms are predominant in the profile. Only when there is a small angle difference and a large angle difference, the color shift multilayer film structure exhibits a spectrum. FIG. 19 shows a comparison of the loci of colors in the CIE lab color space, and it can be seen that the color transfer to the security device greatly contributes to the hologram. The chromaticity and saturation of the hologram are increased to such a degree that they can be sufficiently observed even when they are largely deviated from the achromatic point (a ^* = b ^* = 0).

(2. Off-Gloss Configuration) Comparing the above-described spectral profiles, in the case of off-gloss measurement, the optical response was dominant in the color shift multilayer film structure regardless of the orientation of the sample. There was no optical effect at 0 °, but at 90 ° an optical effect was observed, which was a combination of the optical effect from the hologram and the optical effect from the color shift multilayer film structure. The spectrum peak generated from the color shift multilayer film structure changed as shown in FIG. The spectrum peak is typical of the laminated structure of metal layer / dielectric layer / absorption layer, and shifts to the short wavelength side as the observation angle increases. As the color changes from magenta to yellow, the brightness decreases. 0 degree and 180
In degrees, the hologram shows no spectral peaks.

(3. On-Gloss Configuration) In the on-gloss configuration, the security components are 0 degrees, 180 degrees, and 90 degrees.
At 270 degrees, two remarkable characteristics were exhibited. In the first arrangement, the optical effect of color shift to the short wavelength side was obtained as the incident angle increased.
FIG. 21 is a graph showing an on-gloss spectral profile of the security component in the first arrangement. The color has changed from magenta to green. As the peak shifts to the shorter wavelength side, the size of the peak becomes smaller. This peak reduction is due to the high reflectance values from the security component and standard white tile. Theoretically, the color shift multilayer film structure has the same spectrum shape and shifts to the short wavelength side as the incident angle increases.

The 0-degree and 180-degree on-gross arrangements can obtain a sufficiently large spectrum in the spectrum of the color shift multilayer film structure and have no holographic characteristics, and are suitable for mechanical reading and the like.

In the second arrangement, the spectral peaks resulting from the color-shifting multilayer structure show a large optical interaction with the hologram. FIG. 22 is a graph showing an on-gloss spectrum profile of the security component in the second arrangement.

(C. Optical Microstructure) By using an optical microscope made by Kurtz Ice for the security component, digital characteristics recorded in the color shift multilayer film structure were observed. FIG. 23
FIG. 4 is a graph showing a micrograph of a digital image (50 ×) of the color shift multilayer film structure of the security component. In FIG. 23, the multilayer film structure cannot be observed, but it can be seen that there is a digital dot (ablation hole) having a size of about 100 μm. The digital dot is substantially 30 μm
It is composed of stacked digital dots of the size. Therefore, confidential information can be written with a pixel resolution of 30 to 100 μm, which is less than the resolution with the naked eye. The cracks observed in the color shift multilayer film structure are inherent to the dielectric film and are caused by stress. Such cracks do not significantly affect the optical properties or adhesion of the color-shifting multilayer film structure.

Example 5 A color shift optical laminate having a three-layer structure was formed on an embossed transparent plastic film by vacuum coating to produce a security component having a holographic surface. In the production process, the standard aluminum layer was peeled off from the commercially available hologram using a sodium hydroxide solution. After undergoing a rinsing and drying step, the embossed surface of the film is covered with a translucent film, a low refractive index material layer and an aluminum opaque layer by a PVD process. This optical stack constitutes a Fabry-Perot filter having a thickness of 500 nm in the central part. In the optical layered body, the stacking order of each layer can be reversed. In this case, the optical layered body is formed on one side of the film.

When the optical laminate is viewed from the plastic film side, the superposition of the hologram and the optical laminate is observed. In essence, the iridescent color observed in the initial hologram is modified by the optical stack to enhance certain colors and reduce certain colors. In fact, the hologram could be seen from both sides. From the aluminum layer side, the original hologram can be observed, and from the other side, the hologram and the optical laminated body in which the hologram is superposed can be observed.

Observation of the optical laminate by SEM revealed that the diffractive surface pattern of the hologram was duplicated by the optical laminate and the holographic image was preserved on the surface of the aluminum layer. In this regard, FIG. 24A
And SEM images at 24B (2000 times and 6000 times, respectively), it can be seen that a holographic relief is formed on the upper surface of the optical laminate of the security component.

The present invention can be modified or altered in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. The aspects described above can be construed as described, but are not limited thereto. The scope of the present invention should be construed by the content of the claims rather than by the aspects described above. Further, the scope of the present invention includes the contents described in the claims and matters equivalent thereto.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a security component of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing still another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 8A is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

8B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the security component shown in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating a pre-laminate structure used to form a security component in accordance with a security component aspect of the present invention.

10B is a schematic diagram showing a security component formed from the pre-laminated structure shown in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing an example of a security component of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing another example of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a hot stamping process used to make the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of another hot stamping process used to make the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 17A is a diagram showing a configuration mode of various observation conditions used for measuring the optical characteristics of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 17B is a diagram showing a configuration mode of various observation conditions used for measuring the optical characteristics of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing a spectral profile of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic representation of the CIB Lab color space showing the color locus of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a graph showing an off-gloss spectral profile of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a graph showing an on-gloss spectrum profile of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a graph showing an on-gloss spectrum profile of the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a photomicrograph of an optical thin film laminate used in the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 24A is a micrograph showing a holographic relief formed on the upper surface of a thin film optical laminate used in the security component of the present invention.

FIG. 24B is a micrograph showing the holographic relief formed on the upper surface of the thin film optical laminate used in the security component of the present invention.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Code FI Theme Coat (Reference) G03H 1/26 G03H 1/26 (72) Inventor Richard El Boncowski California, USA 95403 Santa Rosa Southridge Drive 3568 (72) Inventor Patrick Kay Higgins 95952 Windsor Troon Court, California, USA 9971 (72) Inventor Charles Tee Mercants, California 95401 Santa Rosa Stoney Point Road 155 Number 21 F Term (Reference) 2C005 HA04 HB02 HB03 HB09 HB20 JA08 JA15 JA18 JA19 JB02 JB08 JB09 KA02 KA03 KA06 KA38 KA49 KA61 LA27 2H048 GA04 GA15 GA24 GA33 2H049 AA07 AA13 AA40 AA56 AA64 2K008 AA13 DD03 EE0 4 FF11 GG05 HH16 HH19

Claims (78)

[Claims] 1. A first surface having an optical interference pattern and a second surface facing the first surface.
A light-transmissive substrate having a surface of, and a color shift optical formed on the second surface of the substrate, which causes an observable color shift with a change in an incident angle of the incident light or a viewing angle. A security component comprising: a coating; and an adhesive layer provided on the color shift optical coating. 2. The security component according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a plastic material. 3. The plastic material is polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polyacrylate, polyacrylonitrile,
The security component according to claim 2, wherein the security component is selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, polypropylene, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polydicyclopentadiene, and combinations thereof. 4. The optical interference pattern is selected from the group consisting of a diffraction grating pattern, a refraction pattern, a holographic pattern, a corner cube reflection member, a zero-dimensional diffraction pattern, a moire pattern, and a combination thereof. The security component according to claim 1, wherein 5. The optical interference pattern is a Kinegram (registered trademark).
The security component according to claim 1, wherein the security component is selected from the group consisting of a device and a Pixelgram (registered trademark) device. 6. The security component according to claim 1, wherein the optical interference pattern is an optical coherence pattern having a fine structure with a size of 0.1-10 μm. 7. The color shift optical coating is formed from an optical interference multilayer film structure including an absorption layer formed on the second surface of the substrate and a dielectric layer formed on the absorption layer. Security component according to claim 1, characterized in that it is constructed. 8. The color shift optical coating is formed on the absorption layer formed on the second surface of the substrate, a dielectric layer formed on the absorption layer, and formed on the dielectric layer. An optical interference multilayer film structure including a reflective layer formed by:
The security component according to claim 1. 9. The color-shifting optical coating comprises: a first absorbing layer formed on the second surface of the substrate; a dielectric layer formed on the first absorbing layer; The security component according to claim 1, wherein the security component comprises an optical interference multilayer film structure including a second absorption layer formed on a dielectric layer. 10. The color shift optical coating is formed of an optical interference multilayer film structure in which low refractive index dielectric layers and high refractive index dielectric layers are alternately laminated. The security component according to Item 1. 11. The security component of claim 1, wherein the color-shifting optical coating comprises optical interference multilayer structure pieces dispersed in a polymeric medium. 12. The color shift optical coating is formed on an absorption layer formed on the second surface of the substrate, a dielectric layer formed on the absorption layer, and formed on the dielectric layer. The security component according to claim 1, wherein the security component comprises an optical interference multilayer film structure including a cut shear layer and a reflective layer formed on the shear layer. 13. The security component as claimed in claim 12, wherein the shear layer has a thickness of 50-200Å. 14. The combination of the optical interference pattern and the color-shifting optical coating produces a unique color that cannot be obtained by itself as the observation angle changes, as claimed in claim 1. Security parts. 15. The security component of claim 1, wherein the color shifting optical coating includes a laser ablation image therein. 16. The security component of claim 15, wherein the laser ablation image is selected from the group consisting of digital images, barcodes, hidden data, and combinations thereof. 17. The security component of claim 1, wherein the color shift optical coating includes a laser scribe number. 18. The security component of claim 15, wherein the color shift optical coating includes a laser scribe number. 19. A light-transmissive substrate having a first surface having an optical interference pattern and a second surface facing the first surface; and a second light-transmitting substrate formed on a carrier sheet. A security component comprising a color shift optical coating, which is laminated on the surface via an adhesive layer and produces an observable color shift in accordance with a change in incident angle of incident light or a change in observation angle. . 20. The optical interference pattern comprises a diffraction grating pattern, a refraction pattern,
Characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of a holographic pattern, a corner cube reflecting member, a zero-dimensional diffraction pattern, a moire pattern, and a combination thereof.
The security component according to claim 19. 21. The security component according to claim 19, wherein the optical interference pattern is selected from the group consisting of a Kinegram (registered trademark) device and a Pixelgram (registered trademark) device. 22. The security component according to claim 19, wherein the optical interference pattern is an optical coherence pattern having a fine structure with a size of 0.1-10 μm. 23. The color-shifting optical coating comprises a reflective layer formed on the carrier sheet, a dielectric layer formed on the reflective layer, and an absorbing layer formed on the dielectric layer. 20. The security component of claim 19, wherein the security component comprises an optical interference multilayer film structure including. 24. The color-shifting optical coating comprises: a first absorbing layer formed on the carrier sheet layer; a dielectric layer formed on the first absorbing layer; and a dielectric layer formed on the dielectric layer. 20. The security component according to claim 19, wherein the security component is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure including a formed second absorbing layer. 25. The color shift optical coating is formed of an optical interference multilayer film structure in which low refractive index dielectric layers and high refractive index dielectric layers are alternately stacked. Item 21. The security component according to item 19. 26. The security component of claim 19, wherein the color shifting optical coating comprises optical interference multilayer structure pieces dispersed in a polymeric medium. 27. The color shift optical coating comprises a reflective layer formed on the carrier sheet, a shear layer formed on the reflective layer, and a dielectric layer formed on the shear layer. 20. The security component according to claim 19, comprising an optical interference multilayer film structure including an absorption layer formed on a dielectric layer. 28. The security component of claim 27, wherein the shear layer has a thickness of 50-200Å. 29. The security component of claim 19, wherein the color shifting optical coating includes a laser ablation image therein. 30. The security component of claim 29, wherein the laser ablation image is selected from the group consisting of digital images, barcodes, hidden data, and combinations thereof. 31. The security component of claim 19, wherein the color shift optical coating includes a laser scribe number. 32. The security component of claim 29, wherein the color shift optical coating comprises a laser scribe number. 33. A security component according to claim 29, comprising a concealment resistance layer on the first surface of the substrate. 34. The concealment resistance layer is composed of a transparent conductive material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, indium oxide, cadmium tin oxide, and a combination thereof. Security parts listed. 35. A light-transmissive substrate having a first surface having an optical interference pattern and a second surface facing the first surface; and a first sheet of the substrate formed on a carrier sheet. A security component comprising a color shift optical coating, which is laminated on the surface via an adhesive layer and produces an observable color shift in accordance with a change in incident angle of incident light or a change in observation angle. . 36. The optical interference pattern comprises a diffraction grating pattern, a refraction pattern,
Characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of a holographic pattern, a corner cube reflecting member, a zero-dimensional diffraction pattern, a moire pattern, and a combination thereof.
The security component according to claim 35. 37. The security component according to claim 35, wherein the optical interference pattern is selected from the group consisting of a Kinegram (registered trademark) device and a Pixelgram (registered trademark) device. 38. The security component according to claim 35, wherein the optical interference pattern is an optical coherence pattern having a fine structure with a size of 0.1-10 μm. 39. The color shift optical coating comprises a reflective layer formed on the carrier sheet, a dielectric layer formed on the reflective layer, and an absorption layer formed on the dielectric layer. 36. The security component of claim 35, wherein the security component comprises an optical interference multilayer film structure including. 40. The color-shifting optical coating comprises a first absorbing layer formed on the carrier sheet layer, a dielectric layer formed on the first absorbing layer, and a dielectric layer formed on the dielectric layer. 36. The security component according to claim 35, wherein the security component is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure including a formed second absorption layer. 41. The color shift optical coating is formed of an optical interference multilayer film structure in which low refractive index dielectric layers and high refractive index dielectric layers are alternately laminated. Item 35. The security component according to Item 35. 42. The security component of claim 35, wherein the color-shifting optical coating comprises optical interference multilayer structure pieces dispersed in a polymeric medium. 43. The security component of claim 35, wherein the color shifting optical coating includes a laser ablation image therein. 44. The security component of claim 35, wherein the color shift optical coating comprises a laser scribe number. 45. The security component of claim 43, wherein the color shift optical coating comprises a laser scribe number. 46. The security component of claim 43, comprising a concealment resistant layer on the second surface of the substrate. 47. A light-transmissive carrier sheet, a color-shifting optical coating formed on the carrier sheet, which produces observable color shifts with a change in an incident light angle or an observation angle, and the color shifts. A color shift pre-laminate structure, comprising: a laser ablation image and / or a laser scribe number formed in the optical coating. 48. The pre-lamination structure for color shift according to claim 47, wherein the laser ablation image is selected from the group consisting of a digital image, a bar code, concealment data, and a combination thereof. 49. A light transmissive substrate having a first surface having an optical interference pattern and a second surface facing the first surface, and incident light formed on the first surface of the substrate. A security component comprising: a color-shift optical coating that causes an observable color shift with a change in incident angle or observation angle of. 50. The security component of claim 49, comprising an adhesive layer on the second surface of the substrate. 51. The color shift optical coating is formed on the reflective layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, a dielectric layer formed on the reflective layer, and formed on the dielectric layer. 50. A security component according to claim 49, characterized in that it is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure including a light-absorbing layer. 52. The color-shifting optical coating comprises a first absorbing layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, a dielectric layer formed on the first absorbing layer, and a dielectric layer formed on the first absorbing layer. 50. A security component according to claim 49, characterized in that it is composed of an optical interference multi-layer structure including a second absorption layer formed on the body layer. 53. The color-shifting optical coating according to claim 49, wherein the color-shifting optical coating is composed of an optical interference multilayer structure in which low refractive index material layers and high refractive index material layers are alternately stacked. Security parts. 54. Obtaining a master shim having a first surface having a holographic or diffractive pattern, and matching the shape of the holographic or diffractive pattern on the first surface of the master shim. Thus forming a color shift optical coating, depositing a carrier substrate layer on the color shift optical coating, removing the color shift optical coating and the carrier substrate layer from the master shim. And a step of producing a security component having the holographic pattern or the diffraction pattern, wherein the color shift optical coating is observable with respect to the security component with a change in an incident angle or an observation angle of incident light. A feature that imparts various color shifts A method for manufacturing a Rithy parts. 55. The method of making a security component according to claim 54, wherein the master shim is selected from the group consisting of nickel, tin, chromium, and combinations thereof. 56. The color shift optical coating comprises an optical interference multilayer structure including a dielectric layer interposed between two absorbing layers.
4. The method for manufacturing the security component according to 4. 57. The security component of claim 54, wherein the color shift optical coating is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure including an absorption layer, a dielectric layer, and a reflection layer. Manufacturing method. 58. The color-shifting optical coating according to claim 54, wherein the color-shifting optical coating is composed of an optical interference multilayer structure in which low refractive index material layers and high refractive index material layers are alternately stacked. Security part manufacturing method. 59. The method of manufacturing a security component according to claim 54, wherein the color shift optical coating is formed by a physical vapor deposition method. 60. The method of manufacturing a security component according to claim 54, wherein the carrier substrate layer includes a plastic sheet. 61. The method of manufacturing a security component according to claim 54, further comprising the step of adhesively fixing the security component to a predetermined object. 62. The method of manufacturing a security component according to claim 61, wherein the bonding is performed using a pressure sensitive adhesive. 63. The object is a security document, a passage, a credit card,
Characterized by being selected from the group consisting of an ID card, a passport, and product packaging,
A method of manufacturing a security component according to claim 61. 64. A security component made by the method of claim 54. 65. A security component comprising a holographic pattern or a diffractive pattern in a given optical interference stack. 66. A carrier sheet, a release layer formed on the carrier sheet, a light-transmitting substrate formed on the release layer and having an optical interference pattern, and formed on the light-transmitting substrate. A color shift optical coating that causes an observable color shift according to a change in an incident angle of incident light or an observation angle, and an adhesive layer formed on the color shift optical coating. , Hot stamping structure for attaching security components to a given object. 67. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the carrier sheet comprises a plastic material. 68. The release layer comprises polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, chlorinated rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer, nitrocellulose,
Methyl methacrylate, acrylic copolymer, fatty acid, wax, gum, gel,
67. and a combination thereof.
Hot stamp structure according to. 69. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the color shift optical coating is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure including a dielectric layer between two absorbing layers. 70. The color shift optical coating is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure including an absorption layer, a dielectric layer adjacent to the absorption layer, and a reflective layer adjacent to the dielectric layer. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein: 71. The color-shifting optical coating according to claim 66, wherein the color-shifting optical coating is composed of an optical interference multilayer film structure in which a low refractive index material and a high refractive index material are alternately laminated. Hot stamp structure. 72. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the color shift optical coating comprises optical interference multilayer film pieces dispersed in a polymeric medium. 73. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the color shift optical coating includes a laser ablation image therein. 74. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the color shift optical coating includes a laser scribe number. 75. The hot stamp structure according to claim 73, wherein the color shift optical coating includes a laser scribe number. 76. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the adhesive layer is a heat activated adhesive including an acrylic polymer, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyamide, and a combination thereof. 77. The hot stamp structure according to claim 66, wherein the adhesive layer comprises a UV activated adhesive. 78. A carrier sheet, a release layer formed on the carrier sheet, a light-transmissive substrate formed on the release layer and having an optical interference pattern, and formed on the light-transmissive substrate, A hot stamp comprising a color-shifting optical coating that causes an observable color shift with a change in the incident angle of incident light or a change in the observation angle, and a heat-activatable adhesive layer formed on the color-shifting optical coating. A step of preparing a structure, a step of pressing the hot stamp structure against an object heated to a temperature at which it can be adhered, peeling the carrier sheet from the light transmissive substrate, A method of attaching a security component to an object, comprising: exposing the attached security component.